Ki&.'t^ 


Issued  July  G,  ir>07, 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  SOILS— RI'LLKTIX  No.  43. 

MILTON    WHITNEY,  Chief 


RECLAMATION  OF  ALKALI  LAND  IN 
SALT  LAKE  VALLEY,  UTAH 


BY 


CLARENCE  W.  DORSEY. 


WASHINGTON  ; 

GOVERNMENT     PRINTING     OFFICE 

I  907. 


. 


Issued  July  <;.   1907. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  SOILS— BULLETIN   No.  43. 
MILTON    WHITNEY,   Chief. 


RECLAMATION  OF  ALKALI  LAND  IN 
SALT  LAKE  V ALLEY,  DTAH 


BY 


CLARENCE   W.   DORSEY. 


W  \SMI\<; TON  : 
QOVEBNMEN1      PRINTING     OPPII 
L907, 


HI  REAl     OF    SOILS. 


Milton  Whitney,  Chief  of  Bureau. 
Albert  G.  Rice,  Chief  Clerk. 

SCIENTIFIC  STAFF. 

Frank   K.  Cameron,  in  charge  of  Soil  Laboratories. 

Frank    I).  GARDNER,  in  charge  of  Soil  Management. 
George  T.  McNess,  in  charge  of  Tobacco  Investigations. 
Clarence  W.  Dorsey,  in  charge  of  Alkali  Land  Reclamation. 
Jay  A.  Bonsteel    in  charge  of  Soil  Survey. 
Oswald  Schreiner,  in  charge  of  Fertility  Investigations. 
W  J  McGee,  in  charge  of  Soil  Erosion  Investigations. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


r.  S.  Department  of  Agrk  i  ltube, 

Bureau  of  Soils, 
Washington,  J).  C,  April  30,  1907. 
Sib:   I   have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  the  manuscript  of  a 
report  entitled  Reclamation  of  Alkali  Land  in  Salt  Lake  Valley,  Utah, 
and  to  recommend  that  it  be  published  as  Bulletin    NO.  43  of  this 
Bureau. 

Very  respectfully, 

Milton  Whttnei  . 

i  '/ii>  f  of  Bureau, 
Hon.  James  Wilson  . 

Secretary  of  AaricuUun . 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

In  nod  net  ion 7 

DeecriptioD  of  Salt  Lake  Valley 

Soil  and  alkali  conditions  in  Sail   Lake  Valley 9 

Reclamation  of  the  Swan  trad  L3 

Methods  used  in  reclaiming  alkali  land  in  Sail  Lake  Valley 20 

<  Jultivation 20 

Washing 21 

Flooding  combined  with  drainage 22 

Recommendations  for  reclaiming  alkali  lands I'M 

Drainage 24 

Summary 27 


L  I.  V  S  T  K  AT  1 0  N  S . 


pi  vi  i  . 

_ 

Plat*    I.   Fig.    I.— Swan   tract    before  reclamation.     Fig.   2.     Swan  tract  after 

reclamation,  showing  heavy  growth  of  alfalfa L6 

PIGl   R]  3. 

Fio.  I.  Sketch  map  showing  distribution  of  alkali  in  Sail  Lake  Vallej  II 

2.  Plan  of  drainage  ByBtem,  Swan  tract L5 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/reutahalkOOunit 


RECLAMATION  OF  ALKALI  LAND  IX  SALT  LAKE 

VALLEY,  UTAH. 


\TKOI>l"<  TION 


Sixty  years  after  the  hardy  Mormon  pioneers  made  their  appear- 
ance in  Salt  Lake  Valley  there  yel  remains  an  extensive  body  of  land. 
extending  westward  from  the  Jordan  River  to  the  shores  of  Great 
Salt  Lake,  that  contributes  but  little  to  the  agricultural  Importance 
of  Utah.  At  first  it  appears  strange  that  such  extensive  tracts  of 
level  land  should  remain  undeveloped  with  Salt  Lake  City  close  at 
hand  offering  perhaps  the  best  market  to  he  found  in  the  West  for  all 
classes  of  farm  produce.  On  the  east  side  of  the  valley,  situated 
the  same  distance  from  Salt  Lake  City,  farm  land  Ends  a  ready  sale 
at  prices  of  more  than  $200,  and  even  $300,  an  acre,  and  produces 
plentiful  crops  of  great  variety.  It  was  in  this  part  of  the  valley  that 
irrigation  was  first  practiced  in  Utah.  The  crude  beginning  is 
described  by  Mi-.  L.  (1.  Wooley,  a  bishop  in  the  Mormon  Church,  in 
the  following  words:  "The  pioneers  came  into  the  valley  in  July, 
is  17.  The  advance  company  drifted  right  down  upon  the  site  of 
Salt  Lake  City.  They  went  to  work  the  first  day.  ran  a  plowed  ditch 
out  of  City  Creek,  and  started  the  water  out  on  the  ground  and  planted 
some  potatoes  the  same  day." 

The  reason  for  the  backward  development  of  the  large  body  of  land 
between  the  river  and  Great  Salt  Lake  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  soils 
contain  soluble  salts  in  such  quantities  that  useful  crops  can  not  he 
grown.  Once  the  -alt  or  alkali  is  removed  the  soils  will  he  found  ;i- 
rich  a-  those  which  enabled  the  industrious  pioneers  to  prosper  in  the 
manner  the}  have  done.  That  reclaiming  these  soils  is  not  onl)  pos- 
sible  hut  practicable  will  be  shown  in  the  following  pages  1»\  describ- 
ing  the  reclamation  of  one  of  the  most  strongly  impregnated  tract-  ^[' 
alkali  kind  found  in  the  valley.  After  detailing  the  work  on  this 
tract  the  practical  application  of  tin-  experimental  work  to  the  dam 

1    land-  of  |  he  \  alle\    will   he  -how  n  :    t  hat    i-.   we  w  ill  CO  i  l-ider  jn-t 
what    stepfl    the    farmer    inn-l    take    to    make    productive    the   e\teii-i\e 

areas  of  alkali  w aste  land. 

194     (>:    — 2  7 


0  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN     I'TAH. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    SALT    LAKE    VALLEY. 

Salt  Lake  Valley  lies  in  northern-central  Utah  and  comprises  the 
greater  part  of  the  western  half  of  Salt  Lake  County.  The  valley 
attains  a  maximum  width  of  something  more  than  20  miles  from 
east  to  west  and  a  somewhat  greater  length  from  north  to  south.  The 
valley  is  characterized  by  wide  stretches  of  comparatively  level  land, 
-loping  gently  to  the  north  and  west,  and  by  a  number  of  slight 
ridges  that  rise  only  a  few  feet  above  the  general  valley  floor.  On  the 
margins  of  the  valley  the  ridges  are  more  pronounced.  Salt  Lake 
City,  14  miles  east  of  Great  Salt  Lake,  has  an  elevation  of  4,253  feet. 
The  Wasatch  Range  rises  abruptly  above  the  valley  on  the  east,  and 
many  peak-  attain  an  elevation  of  over  11,000  feet.  To  the  south 
the  valley  gradually  converges  into  the  Jordan  Narrows.  On  the 
southwest  the  Oquirrh  Mountains  rise  3,000  to  4,000  feet  above  the 
valley  floor.  Bordering  the  valley  on  the  north  and  west  occurs 
Great  Salt  Lake,  a  shallow  body  of  water  covering  an  area  of  about 
2,000  square  miles.  Great  Salt  Lake  constitutes  only  a  remnant  of  a 
former  lake  that  once  attained  an  area  of  nearly  20,000  square  mile-. 
This  prehistoric  body  of  water,  named  Lake  Bonneville  in  honor  of  the 
intrepid  explorer,  at  one  time  stood  1,000  feet  higher  than  the  present 
lake  level.  Evidences  of  the  former  lake  are  everywhere  visible,  even 
to  the  untrained  observer,  in  the  many  pronounced  shore  lines  that 
stand  out  in  bold  relief  hundred-  of  feet  above  the  present  valley  floor. 
The  Lake  Bonneville  basin,  together  with  many  inclosed  drainage 
basins  in  Nevada,  Oregon,  and  California,  broken  by  parallel  ranges 
of  mountains,  constitutes  the  physiographic  region  known  as  the 
(ireat  Basin,  the  character  and  extent  of  which  was  firs!  made  known 
by  the  explorations  of  Fremont.0 

Salt  Lake  Valley,  in  common  with  other  extensive  Interior  valleys, 
has  what  may  be  termed  a  true  continental  climate,  relieved  to  some 
extent  by  the  modifying  influence  of  Great  Salt  Lake.''  Temperatures 
at  Salt  Lake  City  range  from  —20°  P.,  the  lowest  recorded  minimum, 
to  102  I'\.  the  highest  recorded  maximum,  with  52'  as  the  animal 
mean  temperature.  The  precipitation  during  the  period  1874  to  L903 
for   the   driest    year   was    10.2    inches   and    for   the    wettest    year   23.5 

inches,  with  15.8  inches  representing  the  average  rainfall  for  the 
period.  The  spring  months,  March.  April,  and  May,  receive  the  great- 
est rainfall,  w  it  h  an  average  of  nearly  2  inches  each  month.  The  Bum- 
mer months  receive  the  least  rainfall,  the  entire  three  months  receiv- 
ing only  2  inches  of  rain.  The  average  depth  of  >n«»w  for  the  year  is 
slightly  more  than  50  inches.  The  relative  humidity  is  low,  espe- 
cially   during  the  summer   month-,   at    which   time   the   percentage  of 

a  Lake  Bonneville,  Moi raph  of  1     S.  <  .—I.  Survej .  by  <i.  K.  Gilbert,  L890, 

i>  Bui.  Q,  I  .  8.  Weather  Bureau,  L906. 


SOIL    AND    ALKALI    CONDITIONS.  9 

possible  sunshine  is  the  highest  of  the  year.  These  conditions  of  light 
rainfall,  low  relative  humidity,  and  high  temperatures  hasten  evapo- 
ration during  the  summer  months,  making  irrigation  necessary  to 
insure  the  best  results.  Dry  farming  is  possible  only  for  such  crops 
as  mature  before  the  hot  summer  sets  in  and  is  practiced  but  little  in 
the  valley  proper.  Considerable  dry  fanning  is  carried  on  in  the 
valleys  of  the  lower  foothills  and  on  the  higher  bench  lands,  where  the 
rainfall  is  appreciably  greater. 

SOIL    AM)    ALKALI    CONDITIONS    IN    SALT    LAKE    VALLEY. 

In  1899  the  Bureau  (then  Division)  of  Soils,  in  cooperation  with 
the  Utah  experiment  station,  made  a  soil  survey  of  thai  portion  of 
the  valley  lying  west  of  Jordan  River.  This  survey  comprised  an 
area  of  over  250  square  miles,  but  did  not  include  the  best  fanning 
districts  of  the  valley  lying  east  of  the  Jordan  River.  This  should 
be  remembered  in  the  discussion  of  the  alkali  problems,  since  the 
lands  east  of  the  river  are  but  little  a  fleeted  by  alkali.  There  are 
some  alkali  areas  south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  especially  in  the  bottom 
along  the  river,  but  the  greater  extent  of  land  east  of  the  river  has 
good  slope,  which  implies  fair  natural  drainage  with  the  tendency  for 
the  salts  originally  contained  in  the  soils  to  be  washed  to  lower  levels. 
It  is  this  pari  of  the  valley  that  has  had  the  greatest  agricultural 
development  and  is  at  present  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

This  soil  survey  was  made  by  Frank  D.  Gardner  and  John  Stewart . 
and  the  repoii  was  published  in  the  Field  Operations  of  the  Division 
of  Soils.  L899,  and  as  Bulletin  72  of  the  I  'tali  experiment  station.  The 
soils  were  found  to  have  been  formed  by  material  brought  down  from 
the  mountains  and  from  sediments  of  ancient  Lake  Bonneville,  all  of 
which  have  been  materially  modified  by  inflowing  streams  from  the 
mountains  and  by  the  advance  and  recession  of  ( rreal  Salt  Lake.  On 
account  of  the  manner  of  their  formation  the  soils  vary  greatly  in 
character.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  the  lacustrine  deposits  are 
\<t\  deep,  no  rock  <>r  gravel  being  found  at  a  depth  of  a  hundred  or 
nit  ire  feet.  As  we  approach  the  foot  hills  gravel  and  rock  are  plentiful 
and  often  crop  out  at  the  surface,  and  the  depth  of  lake  sediments 
diminishes  and  in   man)    places  none  at   all  is  found. 

The  sod-  arc  fertile,  hut  in  their  natural  condition  support  only  a 
meager  vegetation,  because  they  are  either  too  i\v\  <>r  contain  too 
much  alkali.  On  the  higher  levels,  where  little  sail  is  present,  sage- 
brush forms  t lie  chief  growth,  while  in  t he  lower  parts  of  the  valley, 
where  there  i-  more  moisture  and  much  -alt.  grease  wood,  -alt  grass, 

and  ol  her  -all    l<>\  ing   vegetation  form-  the  principal  growth. 

The  most  important  soil  type  was  found  to  he  the  Jordan  sandy 
loam,  a  light-colored  Band)  loam,  with  a  depth  of  several  feet,  overly- 
ing clay.     Where  this  class  of  soil  is  above  irrigation  canals  and  in  t  he 


10  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 

irrigated  districts  wherever  the  subsoil  water  is  10  feet  or  more  below 
the  surface  it  is  generally  free  from  excessive  quantities  of  alkali. 
In  the  low  areas,  especially  in  the  northern  part  of  the  valley,  there 
is  much  alkali  in  the  lower  depths  of  soil.  This  soil  is  easily  culti- 
vated and  where  free  from  alkali  is  a  desirable  soil  for  any  crops 
grown  in  the  valley. 

On  the  higher  slopes  of  the  southern  part  of  the  valley  occur  exten- 
sive area-  of  a  gravelly  loam  soil.  This  soil  is  usually  free  from 
alkali,  but  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  gravel  and  high  position 
is  difficult  to  irrigate.  Much  of  this  soil  is  dry-farmed  to  wheat  with 
good  results  in  years  of  abundant  rainfall. 

Another  important  type  of  soil  was  found  to  be  the  Jordan  loam. 
It  comprises  an  area  of  about  50  square  miles,  most  of  which  is  below 
the  present  canal  systems.  It  is  a  heavy  loam  overlying  a  clay  sub- 
soil. Where  free  from  alkali  and  under  cultivation  the  Jordan  loam 
is  an  excellent  soil,  but  the  water  table  is  generally  within  a  few  feet 
from  the  surface  and  the  alkali  content  is  considerable  in  the  lower 
dept  bs  of  soil. 

The  Jordan  clay  occupies  about  35  square  miles,  occurring  largely 
in  low  positions,  usually  from  4  to  8  feet  below  the  land  Immediately 
adjoining.     It  is  level  and  wet  and  rarely  supports  any  vegetation. 

1 1  represents  what  was  formerly  the  floors  of  lagoons  near  the  shore 
of  the  lake,  and  in  many  places  it  is  now  the  floor  of  draws  extending 
like  wide  irregular  canals  back  into  the  land  for*  miles.  On  account 
of  the  clayey  nature  of  this  soil,  the  low  undrained  position,  and  high 
alkali  content  it  is  at  present  not  suited  to  agricultural  purposes. 
Other-  Less  important  classes  of  soils  were  found  that  need  not  be  con- 
sidered. 

In  a  number  of  small  areas  hardpan  was  found,  occurring  princi- 
pally in  connection  with  the  sandy  loam  soils.  The  hardpan  usually 
is  encountered  ai  an  average  depth  of  IS  inches  and  ranges  in  thick- 
ness from  12  to  IS  inches.  It  is  composed  of  material  similar  to  thai 
immediately  above  and  below  it,  cemented  by  lime  carbonate.  When 
dry  this  hardpan  is  bard  and  difficult  to  penet  rate,  but  after  irrigation 

ha-  heen  practiced  for  some  time  it  readily  softens  and  is  pervious  to 
Water  and  the  roots  of  plants.  Usually  il  was  observed  that  the  soil 
above    the   hardpan    was   Free   from   alkali,    while    helow    the   hardpan 

the  salt  content  was  much  greater. 

The  main  water  supply  for  t  he  western  part  of  t he  valley  is  derived 
directly  from  Utah  Lake,  a  large  body  of  fresh  water  lying  south  of 
Sah  Lake  Valley.  It  has  an  area  of  approximately  125  square  miles 
hui  is  rather  shallow.     Il  is  fed  largely  by  short  mountain  streams 

derived  from  melting  snow  .  While  the  inflowing  streams  contain  hi  it 
little  soluble  salts  >cepage  from  surrounding  lands  alfects  the  salt 
content    of   the    lake.       The   outlet    of    I'tah    Lake   is   the  Jordan    River, 


SOIL    AND    ALKALI    CONDITIONS. 


11 


from  which  several  canals  are  taken  out.  While  the  salt  content  of 
the  .Jordan  varies  at  different  points,  depending  to  some  extent  on 
the  amount  of  seepage  water  it  receives  from  irrigated  land,  it  is 
usually  of  good  quality.  Analyses  of  the  water  from  Jordan  River 
at  the  lime  the  survey  was  made,  1899,  showed  the  presence  of  from 
80  to  110  parts  per  100,000,  consisting  mainly  of  the  chlorides  and 
sulphates  of  sodium  and  calcium. 

The  distribution  of  the  alkali  was  found  to  depend  largely  upon  the 
topography  of  the  valley 
a-  well  as  upon  the  char- 
acter- of  soils.  The  accom- 
panying sketch  map  (fig.  1) 
-ho\\  -  the  extent  of  land- 
containing  more  than  0.60 
per  cent  of  alkali.  A-  a 
rule  i  he  greatest  accumula- 
t  ions  of  alkali  were  found 
in  the  heavier  textured 
soils  that  occupy  the  lower 

portions  of  the  valley.  The 
heavy  <-la\  soils  I  hat  have 
within  recent  year-  hem 
covered  by  Great  Salt 
Lake  almost  without  ex- 
ception contain  excessive 
quantities  "I"  alkali.  In 
t  bese  areas  also  the  water 
table  Btands  \\  it  hin  a  few 
feet  of  the  surface.  The 
heay\     nature    of    the    soil. 

t  he  shallow  ground  \\  ater, 
and  the  low  posit  ion  have 
caused  t  bese  -<>il-  to  ret  ain 

1  be  Salt  -  added    l>\    contact 

with  the  saline  waters  of 
the  lake.  On  the  higher 
ridges  in  t he  valley  and  on 
the  more  sloping  lands 
bordering  the  rallej  the  ordinary  precipitation  m  the  form  of  rain  or 
snow  bas  leached  awaj  considerable  of  the  -alt -  orignallj  contained, 
[t  was  found  that  the  character  of  the  soil  and  t  he  depth  to  standing 
water  were  the  most  important  facto!-  m  determining  the  vertical 
distribution  of  alkali  in  the  -oil.  ( )n  sand}  soils  with  t he  water  table 
several  feet  l>el<>w   the  surface  the  top  soil  was  general]}   (v^r  from 

alkali,   but    it    increased   in   amount    in   the   lower  depths.       Where   the 


till  map  showing  ■  li--t  ributlon  of  alkali  in  Salt 
Lake-  \  m  lit  •  > .    i  hi  to  i  li  iii's  oover  area  affected. 


12  RECLAMATION  OF  ALKALI  LAND  IX  IT  AH. 

water  stood  within  3  feet  or  less  from  the  surface  the  greater  part  of 

the  alkali  was  concentrated  at  or  near  the  surface. 

The  source  of  the  alkali  is  probably  the  waters  of  Great  Salt  hake 
(which  within  the  memory  of  the  older  inhabitants  has  covered  much 
of  the  low-lying  lands)  of  in  the  case  of  the  more  elevated  lands  the 
waters  of  Lake  Bonneville.  The  alkali  is  largely  composed  of  sodium 
chloride  with  a  smaller  quantity  of  sodium  sulphate  and  a  small  per- 
centage of  the  chlorides,  sulphates,  and  carbonates  of  calcium  ami 
magnesium.  Sodium  carbonate,  black  alkali,  is  often  found,  gener- 
ally in  small  quantities. 

During  the  progress  of  the  survey  in  1899  it  was  found  that  an  area 
of  more  than  77,000  acres  was  practically  free  from  alkali.  This 
large  area  comprises  the  more  sloping  lands  where  good  natural 
drainage  and  porous  soils  have  prevented  injurious  accumulations  of 
alkali.  Seventeen  thousand  acres  contained  sufficient  alkali  in  the 
first  (>  feet  to  render  certain  precautions  necessary  to  prevent  injury 
of  crops.  Much  of  this  land  occurs  south  of  Twelfth  South  street 
road  where  seepage  and  surplus  waters  have  formed  a  chain  of  lakes. 
In  the  vicinity  of  these  lakes  the  ground  water  is  within  ;i  few  feet  of 
the  surface,  and  unless  some  form  of  drainage  is  provided  accumula- 
tion of  alkali  will  undoubtedly  increase.  Where  this  amount  of 
alkali  (0.25  to  ().(>()  per  cent)  is  found  on  higher,  better  drained  soils 
no  serious  damage  should  result  provided  the  surface  be  carefully 
leveled  and  all  water  he  supplied  in  the  form  of  heavy  surface  Hooding 
at  infrequent   intervals. 

Seventeen  thousand  acres  was  found  to  contain  from  0.60  to  1  per 
cent  of  alkali,  occurring  in  sandy  soils  with  the  water  table  usually 
about    1  feet  from  t  he  surface.      ( ienerally  t  he  greater  part  of  the  alkali 

i-  concentrated  in  the  lower  depths  of  soil  and  attempts  to  cultivate 

this  land  are  successful  for  a  few  years.  "With  the  rise  of  the  ground 
water  the  alkali  usually  rises  to  the  surface  and  many  failures  have 
resulted  after  cultivating  such  land,  owing  to  the  concentration  of 
too  much  alkali  in  the  upper  layers  of  soil. 

By  providing  even  a  limited  amount  of  drainage  and  heavy  sur- 
face irrigation  many  of  these  failures  could  have  been  prevented  and 

the  land   maintained  in  fertile  condition  for  a  long  period  of  years. 
A  large  body  of  land,  amounting  to  nearly  30,000  acres,  contained 

from  1  to  :;  per  cent  of  alkali  to  a  depth  of  <*>  feet.  The  greater 
part  of  this  class  of  alkali  land  IS  at  present  of  no  agricultural  value 
except  for  the  scant  \  pasturage  it  yields.  Much  of  the  alkali  must 
\)c  removed  to  make  it  available  for  crop  production.  In  many 
location-,    however,    such    land    can    he    reclaimed    and    will    then    be 

found  adapted   to  all  classes  of  crops  grown  in  the  valley.     More 

than    is. (mo  acre-  contained   upward   of  .'I   per  cent    of  alkali,  and  on 

account  of  the  heavy  aoila  and  l<>w  position  it  is  to  be  doubted  if 


RECLAMATION    OF    THE    SWAN    TRACT.  13 

such  land  can  ever  be  profitably  reclaimed.  Conditions  at  the  pres- 
ent time  certainly  do  not  warrant  treating  such  soils  when  there  are 
large  areas  of  better  land  that  can  be  made  productive  at  a  much 
less  cost. 

It  was  pointed  out  in  the  report  by  Gardner  and  Stewart  that 
underdrainage  was  necessary  not  only  to  protect  certain  lands 
against  injury  from  seepage  waters  and  alkali,  but  also  to  reclaim 
lands  already  damaged;  that  the  cost  of  underdrainage  was  slight 
in  comparison  to  the  value  of  alkali-free  lands,  and  that  money 
invested  in  drainage  is  in  the  nature  of  an  insurance  against  loss  of 
crops  from  seepage  waters  and  alkali.  Attention  was  also  called  to 
the  fact  that  no  serious  engineering  difficulties  stand  in  the  way  of 
carrying  out  a  comprehensive  drainage  system,  thai  there  is  ample 
fall  to  the  north  and  west  toward  the  lake,  and  that  the  network  of 
draws  from  4  to  8  feet  deep  extending  through  much  of  the  alkali 
land  would  furnish  ready  outlet  for  smaller  drainage  systems.  It 
was  further  remarked  that  an  area  of  nearly  loo  square  miles,  which 
at  present  has  but  a  mere  nominal  value,  could  be  economically 
reclaimed,  and  that  such  work  should  appeal  to  the  commercial 
spirit  of  the  people  and  stimulate  them  to  undertake  this  very 
desirable  enterprise. 

RECLAMATION    or     1111.    -WAN    TRACT." 

Several  year-  after  the  publication  of  the  Soil  Survey  report  no 
important  step  had  been  undertaken  toward  any  general  scheme  of 
reclaiming  alkali  lands.  In  1902,  therefore,  the  Bureau  of  Soils 
entered  into  cooperation  with  the  Utah  experiment  station  to  dem- 
onstrate that  alkali  lands  could  be  economically  reclaimed.  A  tract 
of  40  acre-  was  -elected  about  4  mile-  w  c-t  of  Sail  Lake  City,  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  E.  I).  Swan.  This  trad  is  situated  in  -<•<•.  .",.  T.  1  S., 
R.  1  X.  The  tract  lies  on  the  east  of  Williams  hake  and  ha-  an 
elevation  of  about  8  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  lake.  It  was  realized 
by  all  that  if  a  tract  ^)(  land  of  this  character  could  be  reclaimed 
there  could  he  no  possibility  but  that  the  reclamation  of  large  bodies 
of  land  lying  in  this  portion  of  the  valley  could  he  effected.  The 
greater  part  of  the  tract  wa-  covered  with  a  white  crust  of  alkali 
and  supported  a  scattering  growth  of  greasewood  (Sarcobatus  vermicvr 

latUS).      A  railroad  embankment   crossed   the  tract    from  east    to  we-t. 

ami  city  streets  had  been  graded  upon  it  man}   years  before,  when 

land    -peculation    led    main     to    believe    that     the    cit\     would    rapidly 

extend  it-  boundaries  several  mile-  to  the  westward  of  its  present 

local  ion. 
"From  L902to  L904  w.  li.  Heileman  was  in  charge  <A  the  reclamation  of  the  Swan 


14 


RECLAMATION    01     ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 


Tlie  surface  soil  consists  of  sandy  and  silty  loam  from  12  to  18 
inches  in  depth.  The  underlying  material  varies  from  heavy  loam 
to  clay.  In  places  a  thin  layer  of  sand  occurs  at  a  depth  of  4  feet, 
while  toward  the  lake,  at  an  average  depth  of  26  inches,  is  found  a 
white  calcareous  hardpan  from  1  to  2  inches  in  thickness.  Occa- 
sionally two  layers  of  this  hardpan  are  found,  the  first  lying  about 
4  inches  above  the  second.  An  alkali  survey  was  made  to  deter- 
mine the  quantity  of  alkali  contained  in  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  4  feet. 
This  showed  that  there  was  present  in  the  soil  to  that  depth  from 
'2.7)  to  5  per  cent  of  alkali,  consisting  mainly  of  sodium  chloride  and 
sodium  sulphate.  Since  (>..">  of  1  per  cent  of  the  alkali  generally 
found  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  represents  about  the  upper  limit  of  resist- 
ance of  ordinary  farm  crops,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  soil  of  the  tract 
contained  ■  •  any  times  too  n  uch  alkali  for  the  growth  of  useful  crops. 

The  following  table  contains  analyses  of  representative  samples  of 
soil  and  subsoil  taken  from  the  Swan  tract: 

Chemical  analysis  of  typical  samples  of  soil  from  tin  Stoan  tract. 


Constituent. 


Soluble  salt 

Composition  <>f  soluble  salt : 

Calcium  i  Ca  

Magnesium  i  Mg) 

Sodium    N.i   

Potassium  (  K    

Sulphuric  acid  (SO*)  .  .  . 

Chlorine  (CI) 

Bicarbonic  add  i  HC0 

Carbonic  add    I  ( 


Sandy 
loam,  i)  14 

inches. 


Per  c<  ///. 

1.1.4 
L.22 

30  77 

17.95 

34.33 

8.78 

2  07 


Loam,  14  :H) 

inches. 


I. ,0  L8  '''"> V';;,""-  Lo«m,0-a>  ''la>',1""1"- 

'"<""--      ,££.      "«■»-■      ££. 


Per 


a  ni. 
1.34 

1.04 

29.51 
4.76 
18.78 
29  36 
14.32 
1.64 


'i  r  c<  nt. 

1',  r  1 1  nt. 

l'i  r  n  nt. 

l'i  r  i  i  ut. 

2.43 

2.60 

2.46 

1.15 

.81 

1.05 

.  49 

- 

18 

.61 

■ 

31.61 

33.26 

3.62 

3  u7 

L6.03 

16.14 

19  56 

17.08 

39.27 

41.02 

36.66 

39.  40 

3.94 

2  77 

4.39 

2  sv 

2.23 

The  ground  water  at  this  time  (1902)  stood  at  about  1  feet  from 
the  surface  during  the  greater  pari  of  the  irrigation  season.  In 
order  to  facilitate  the  removal  of  alkali  salts  by  flooding,  a  drainage 
system  was  installed.  The  accompanying  sketch  map  (fig.  2)  shows 
the  general  plan  of  the  drainage  system  and  the  size,  depth,  and 

interval  bet  ween  each  lateral. 

The  average  cosl  of  the  drainage  system  completed  was  $16.50  per 
acre.  The  system  for  the  L0  acres  includes  s  lateral  drains  and  l 
main  drain.  Bach  of  the  laterals  is  L,250  feet  long  and  consists  of 
850  feet  of  1-inch  tile  and  100  feel  of  3-inch  tile.  The  laterals  were 
placed  at  intervals  of  150  feet,  except  on  the  north  side  of  the  tract, 
where  this  distance  was  considerably  increased  to  test  the  efficiency 
of  drains  at  greater  distances  apart.  'The  main  drain  across  the  west 
end  of  the  tract  consists  of  520  feet  of  6-inch  tile,  300  feet  of  8-inch 
tile,  and  270  feet  of  L0-inch  tile.  The  average  depth  of  the  drains 
over  the  entire  tract  was  I  feet.  This  was  as  deep  as  the  system 
could  !)(•  installed  and  secure  a  gravity  outlet  into  William-  Lake. 


RECLAMATION    OF    THE    SWAN    TRACT. 


15 


In  order  that  the  water  used  in  flooding  the  traet  might  be  measured 
a  Cipoletti  weir  with  recording  register  was  installed  at  the  point 
where  the  supply  canal  entered  the  traet.  A  registering  weir  was 
also  placed  at  the  outlet  of  the  drainage  system  to  measure  the  water 
that  passed  through  the  soil.  From  the  outset  the  drainage  system 
worked  perfectly  and  proved  adequate  to  discharge  all  water  drained 
through  the  soil. 

On  account  of  the  fall,  graded  streets,  and  railroad  embankment, 
leveling  the  tract  bo  that  systematic  Hooding  might  he  carried  on 
proved  a  laborious  undertaking.  An  attempt  was  made  to  get  the 
land  in  shape  for  flooding  before  the  close  of  the  irrigating  season  of 


I3Z0  fed 

£  650  fed 

4.  incA  tilt. 

U-00  fed 

2>,-n<Ji  tile 

|         Open 

(Outlet 

4inc/ltlL 

O 

o 

<-> 

4-00 fed 

•3  men  tile. 

r     ditch 

>. 
•■ 

. 

iSL 

I  k  650  feet 

4ir>cht,(e 

s.  ^OOfed 

•Ai-nah  tile. 

jBSOfed 

lirxch  tiU 

Z-400  fed 

3ir,cA  tih 

- 

^BSOhd 

linJitile 

^■400fee( 

Jynd?  tile 

i 
I 

$ 

KfiSO  fed 

4inJitiU 

■ 
~4oofeet 

5-i-ndi  ti?e 

^6S0  fed 

4indit,U 

% 

-  400  fed 

3i-nch  tile 

^BSOleei 

iindit.le. 

^  400  fed 

3ir,J,  Ue. 

X 

lr,tckt 

■ 

Fiq.  2.     Plan  <>f  drainage  system,  Swan  i  ract. 


1902.     A  number  of  large  checks  were  made  inclosing  a  few   acres 

each.  Attempts  to  Hood  the  tract,  however,  showed  that  more  level- 
ing was  Qecessar}    1<>  Hood  successfully    the  entire  tract    to  a  depth  of 

several  inches.  This  was  done  earlj  in  1903,  and  flooding  operations 
were  continued  during  the  greater  pari  of  the  irrigation  season.      \: 

the   close   <>f   the  SCaSOD    in    1903   a   >eeoiid    alkali    -ur\e\    wa-    made   to 

determine  the  quantity  of  alkali  removed  bj  the  flooding.  This 
survey  showed  thai  large  quantities  of  alkali  had  keen  removed,  espe- 
cially from  the  upper  layers  of  soil.  It  was  considered  that  the  land 
was  sufficiently  sweetened  t«>  grow  shallow-rooted  crops.  Accord- 
ingly   in    the   >|>ring  of    L904    the   tract    wa-    tinned   over   to   the    I'tah 


16  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 

experiment  station  to  conduct  such  crop  tests.  The  entire  tract 
was  sowed  during  the  latter  part  of  May  to  wheat,  oats,  and  barley. 
At  this  time  the  general  tilth  of  the  soil  was  not  good  on  account  of 
the  flooding  of  the  previous  year.-.  The  soil  somewhat  resembles 
adobe,  tends  to  hake  or  harden,  and  does  not  readily  respond  to  cul- 
tivation. On  account  of  the  unfavorable  physical  condition  of  the 
soil  the  crop  tests  were  not  altogether  satisfactory,  hut  they  plainly 
showed  that  the  tract  was  already  in  condition  for  cultivation  as  far 
as  the  alkali  content  was  concerned.  Of  the  three  crops  the  wheat 
made  the  best  growth.  Of  the  40  acres  planted  about  15  per  cent 
showed  a  thin  stand  where  alkali  still  remainedtin  the  soil.  The 
entire  field  headed  short  and  showed  the  influences  of  late  seeding. 
Early  in  August  the  greater  part  of  the  tract  was  plowed  under  to 
improve  the  physical  condition  of  the  soil.  Flooding  was  then  car- 
ried on  for  a  period  of  several  weeks,  at  the  end  of  which  time  10 
acres  were  prepared  and  planted  to  winter  wheat.  By  the  spring  of 
190o  most  of  the  wheat  had  made  a  good  growth,  but  was  thin  and 
uneven  in  some  place-.  The  remaining  30  acres  were  planted  to 
alfalfa  and  a  variety  of  other  crops,  including  potatoes,  corn,  berseem. 
beans,  hemp,  sugar  beet-.  <>ats,  barley,  and  spring  wheat.  There 
still  remained  some  parts  of  the  tract  that  had  not  been  sufficiently 
Leveled  to  secure  the  best  results  with  irrigation,  but  in  all  parts  of 
the  tract,  where  water  could  be  given  the  growing  crops,  results 
were  very  gratifying.  No  systematic  flooding  other  than  light  irri- 
gations was  carried  on  during  1905.  In  1906,  L3  acres  of  the  tract 
had  a  good  stand  of  alfalfa,  which  had  been  planted  the  preceding 
season,  and  I  acre-  were  in  winter  wheat.  The  remainder  of  the 
tract  was  planted  principally  to  alfalfa,  using  oats  as  a  nurse  crop. 
Other  small  portions  of  the  tract  were  planted  to  crops  requiring  cul- 
tivation, such  as  corn,  potatoes,  and  sugar  beets.  At  the  close  of 
the  irrigating  season  in  1906  the  tract  was  practically  turned  oxer  to 
the  owner  in  a  reclaimed  condition.  It  is  estimated  that  all  except- 
ing 1  or  '2.  acres  of  the  tract  contained  so  little  alkali  that  no  further 
damage  from  this  source  need  be  feared.  A  few  small  spots  remained 
which  -till  contained  alkali  in  injurious  amounts.  These  represent 
higher  portions  of  the  different  checks  which  during  the  flooding 
operations  bad  not  been  covered  with  water  to  a  sufficient  depth  to 

leach  out   the  alkali.      The  greater  part  of  the  tract   18  in  alfalfa,  and  a 

very  satisfactory  stand  has  been  secured.     The  fact  that  alfalfa  can 

be  successfully  grown  -how-  that  the  removal  of  the  alkali  has  been 
very  thorough,  since  it  is  well  known  (hat  young  alfalfa  is  one  of  the 
most    -en-it  ive  Crops  to  alkali. 

At  the  beginning  and  close  of  each  season  an  alkali  survey  has 
been  made  t<»  determine  the  amount  removed  by  flooding  and  the 
change  in  position  of  the  alkali  in  the  surface   i  feet  of  soil.     The 


Bui.  43,  Bureau  of  Soils,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


Plate  I. 


Fig.  1.— Swan  Tract  Before  Reclamation. 


Fig.  2. -Swan  Tract  After  Reclamation,  Showing  Hlavy  Growth  of  Alfalfa. 


RECLAMATION    OF    THE    SWAN    TRACT. 


17 


following  table  shows  the  quantity  of  alkali  in  the  tract  as  shown  by 
the  surveys  taken  at  different  times: 

Quantity  of  alkali  vn  different  depths  of  soil  on  certain  dates. 


ction. 

Alkali  in  40 

September,  1902.             May,  1903. 

October,  1903.            October,  L904. 

Tons. 

1,540 
1,766 
1,982 

Percent.      Ton*.      Percent. 
20               499                 14 
23              650               lit 

Tone.      Percent.      Tone.      Percent. 

101                 S               38                   4 

1x3                  I.",                128                    13 

Third  foot.. . 

27           1.                      31              330                28              212                  24 

30          1,265                               607               4'.i              500 

Total 

•  ..'..",1 

3,480    1,221    878 

The  alkali  removed  from  the  first  foot  between  September,  L902, 
and  October,  1904,  was  '.'7  per  cent  of  the  total  quantity  originally 
contained.  From  the  second  foot  91  per  cent  was  removed,  from  the 
third  f«»<>t  s7  per  cent,  and  from  the  fourth  foot  75  per  cent.  These 
figures  show  that  to  a  depth  of  4  feet  there  has  been  87  per  cent  of 
the  original  alkali  removed  from  the  entire  tract. 

Compared  with  its  condition  in  September,  1902,  the  first  foot  of 
the  tract  contain-  only  3  per  cent  of  the  alkali  originally  carried,  the 
second  foot  9  per  cent,  the  third  foot  11  per  cent,  and  the  fourth 
foot  25  percent.  We  find  from  this  that  the  alkali  has  been  removed 
most  rapidly  from  the  lower  depths  of  the  soil.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  alkali  in  the  first  3  feet  of  -oil  had  to  pass  through  the 
fourth  foot  in  its  movement  downward.  The  final  elimination  of 
alkali  from  the  lower  2  feet  of  soil  pro^re^se-  more  slowly  than  in  the 
surface  2  feet.  At  tie  present  time  but  little  alkali  remains  in  the 
first  2  feet  of  -oil,  and  the  elimination  from  the  third  and  fourth 
should  go  on  more  rapidly. 

The  following  table  shows  the  volume  of  water  added  to  the  tract 
from  September,  1902,  until  October,  L904.  The  table  -how-  also 
the  volume  of  drainage  over  the  outlet  weir,  and  the  salts  alkalis 
removed  from  the  tract  in  the  drainage  water.  The  results  were 
obtained  from  continuous  measurements  and  daily  collections  of 
water  samples  for  t  he  cut  ire  period. 

Total  quantity  of  water  used  in  flooding  tin  trait,  quantity  flowing  off  through  '/rains,  ami 
quantity  of  salts  removed  in  drainagi  >■ 


Mm. II. 


Volume  of       *£%%£       Baltain 
water  added    ^^n,,,      ':' 
tract 


Scpi.nil  ..r 
October 
November. 
December 


January . 
February 
liarch    . 


■  i  rain  or  -now  . 


Mill    (NHI 

a  |, 
a  161 


' 


■ 

l-.O.  I  INI 


21  I.NHI 


18 


RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 


Total  quantity  of  water  used  in  flooding  flu  tract,  quantity  flowing  off  through  drains,  and 
quantity  of  salts  removed  in  drainagi  water — Continued. 


April 
May. 

Jim.-. 

July. 


August  .... 

ruber. 
October. . . 
November. 

mber. 


January. 
February 

March.  .  . 
April.... 
May 

June 


July. 


August . . . . 
September. 


Total 


Month. 


11*04. 


Volume  Of        \  \{         ,  f         Salts  to 
water  added    w^^m      drainage 


Cubic  feet. 
a  112,000 

7t*),900 
a  IOC,  000 

676,  500 
a  36,  580 
1, 691, 870 
_'.  122, 160 
2,352,920 

351,290 

10,656 


217, 
299, 
187, 
255, 
382, 

a44, 
618, 

a  87, 
1,610, 

«35, 
1,920, 

a  20. 


800 
L12 
308 

552 
974 
970 
172 
120 

Ml7 

820 
726 
320 
L53 


Cubic 

521,509 
274,500 

814,890 
1,192 

113.137 
80,376 


380,  ill 

258,519 

60,903 

774,285 
579,215 


Pounds. 
26,500 

567,  LOO 
345, 200 

1,221,742 

1,654,  115 

840,981 

126, 364 

43. 953 


is.  912 
475,631 
521,974 
382,335 

61,466 

31,487 

711,021 
579,215 


8,775,940       l" 


"  Fell  as  rain  or  snow. 


From  the  initial  installation  to  October  1 ,  1(.)()4,  we  have  the  follow 


lnir 


T  ,   -      -  .      .        ,  ,    ,  (cubic  feet..    L7, 896,  186 

I « it nl  voluincot  water  added \ 

lacre-f  eet . . .  410 

Total  tonnage  of  salts  removed tons. . 


5.  3 1 ' 


The  initial  tonnage  of  alkali  in  this  tract  in  September,  1902,  by  a 

careful  alkali  survey,  was  6,651  tons.  From  the  above  record  it 
would  seem  that  about  all  the  alkali  had  been  Leached  from  the  tract 
i"  a  depth  of  l  feet.     It  should  be  remembered  that  this  tonnage  was 

obtained  from  little  more  than  half  of  the  water  actually  added  to  the 
tract.  Our  factor,  however,  remains  undetermined,  viz,  the  volume 
Of   water   lost    h\    >Ulfaoe   evaporation. 

Certain  phenomena  enter  into  the  work  which  tend  to  show  that 
the  salt  removed  from  the  tract  will  finally  exceed  the  actual  tonnage 
originally  present.  We  find  the  reclamation  from  alkali  is  not  lim- 
ited to  the  40  acres  in  question,  but  that  the  effect  of  this  drainage 
system  is  far-reaching.  Unmistakable  evidences  appear  which 
-how  that  the  land  lying  contiguous  to  the  tract  has  been  most  defin 
itely  benefited  by  drain-  installed  on  the  40  acres.  Lands  lying 
above  this  tract,  which  in  years  past  bave  never  produced  crops,  have 
during  the  past   season  yielded  almost   normally.     The  drains  near 


RECLAMATION    OF    THE    SWAN    TRACT. 


19 


these  lands  have  carried  from  them  their  underground  water  and  the 
alkali  which  it  contained. 

The  following  table  shows  the  quantity  and  composition  of  the 
constituents  removed  in  the  drainage  water  at  various  times  during 
the  progress  of  the  reclamation.  The  proportion  of  the  different  con- 
stituents is  remarkably  uniform  and  should  remain  so  until  some  one 
or  more  of  the  salts  is  completely  removed  as  pointed  out  by  Cameron." 

Chemical  analysis  of  drainage  water  from  Span  tract. 
[In  parts  per  100,000.] 


Consl  ii  uciii . 


Calcium  (Ca) 

Magnesium  (Mg) 

Sodium  (Na) 

Potassium  (K  

Sulphuric  .acid  i  8<  u  .  - 

Chlorine  (('1' 

Bicarbonic  acid  i  BCOj 
Carbonic  acid  ((  l  • 

Total  solids 


Seepage 

water  from 

tile  drain 

Drainage 

Drainage 

Drainage 

Draii 

before  irri- 

water  June 

water  April   water  May 

water!  line 

gating 

18,  1903. 

1.  1904. 

10.  lso.v 

26,  1906. 

October  0. 

1902. 

•1.  5 

:._> 

6.  1 

9.  6 

25.  7 

16.2 

7  o 

696.  6 

1,177.  1 

726.  2 

• 

31.9 

26.0 

26.9 

10.  8 

12.  6 

387.  0 

Vvs    6 

353.  1 

214.3 

•    • 

765.0 

1.207.0 

888.  1 

431.2 

132.9 

93.  7 

80.0 

7.  1 

;>.  :. 

10 

5.9 

6.0 

2,034.6 

3, 430.  8 

2, 100.  6 

1,070.1 

1,153.1 

The  following  table  shows  the  increased  acreage  of  soil  containing 
a  low  percentage  of  alkali.  The  columns  headed  "September"  show 
the  original  acreage,  while  the  columns  headed  "October"  show  pres- 
ent acreage.     The  results  of  later  surveys  are  not  included  in  these 

tables,  since  it   was  found   that    the  alkali  conditions  over  the  entire 
t pact  were  hut  little  changed : 

Acreagi  of  land  of  different  grades  of  alkali  September,  1902,  and  October,  1904. 


V\r<\  foot . 


I  fool . 


Percenl  alkali  pres- 


l'.toj. 


no  0.2 


0.2  ii  I 

0.6  I 

I  3 


13.3 

10.7 


OCtO-  Sep-  Octo- 

ber,    tember,      ber, 
1904         1902.        1904, 


No  nr. 


o,  8 

;,o      ' 


o    I 

2.3 

S    I) 

19  7 

8   1 


Third  foot. 


Fourth  foot.      Total  In  i  feel 


Sep-      oci,,-      Sep-      Octo 

tember,     ber,     tember,     ber, 

I'-oj.        I'm}         1902.        1904. 


None. 

17.0 

0.  1 

ll  5 

.  7 

17 

11.5 

0.1 

is    1 

13  I 


Sep-         OCtO- 

tember,     ber, 
1902         1904. 


ll.fi 

v.ii 
6.0 


7  2 


From  the  above  hint'  description  of  the  operations  on  the  Swan 
tract  it  will  he  seen  that  excessive  quantities  of  alkali  can  be  removed 
from  hc;i\  \  soils  l>\  continuous  flooding  during  n  single  irrigation 
Beason.  The  success  of  such  an  experiment  can  not  hut  he  far 
reaching  in  its  influence  upon  the  alkali  question  in  Salt  Lake  Valley. 

"'I'll.'  Composition  of  the  Drainage  Waters  of  Some  Ukali  Tracts.     Jour.  Am.  Chem. 
Soc.,  Vol.  XXVIII,  No.  I".  L90  ilso  Bui.  N  ils. 


20  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 

It  means  that  thousands  of  acres  of  land  now  lying  idle  can  be  made 
to  produce  profitable  crops  at  a  small  outlay  of  time  and  money. 
While  the  present  water  supply  is  perhaps  too  limited  to  warrant 
the  reclamation  of  all  of  the  alkali  areas,  it  is  nevertheless  adequate 
to  reclaim  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  apparently  worthless 
land. 

METHODS    USED    IN     RECLAIMING    ALKALI     LAM)    IN    SALT   LAKE   VALLEY. 

While  there  are  abundant  evidences  that  considerable  land  has 
been  damaged  by  the  accumulation  of  seepage  water  and  rise  of 
alkali,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that,  since  the  earliest  set- 
tlement in  the  valley,  lands  originally  containing  alkali  have  been 
reclaimed.  Even  at  the  present  time  the  reclamation  of  alkali  lands 
is  progressing  to  a  limited  extent.  That  the  question  of  alkali  was 
considered  serious  by  tin1  settlers  is  brought  out  in  some  of  the  early 
writings.  For  instance,  Charles  Brought  states  that  " transforma- 
tion of  this  sterile  waste-,  glistening  with  beds  of  salts  and  soda  and 
deadly  alkali,  seemed  impossible."  From  this  quotation  it  must  not 
be  inferred  that  any  large  bodies  of  land  containing  excessive  quan- 
tities of  alkali  have  ever  been  reclaimed.  There  are  reasons  to  be- 
lieve that,  taking  the  valley  as  a  whole,  the  quantity  of  alkali  is  decreas- 
ing, especially  on  the  higher  sloping  lands  which  are  better  drained. 
Mention  is  made  by  some  of  the  old  settlers  of  the  fact  that  in  former 
times  the  year's  supply  of  salt  could  be  gathered  from  some  one  of 
the  numerous  -mall  lake  beds  which  occur  in  large  numbers  in  the 
level  valley  between  the  Jordan  River  and  the  shores  of  Great  Salt 
Lake.  At  the  present  time,  while  these  ponds  dry  up  during  the 
summer  season  and  crusts  of  alkali  are  formed  on  the  surface,  in  no 
places  can  large  quantities  of  salt  be  gathered  by  merely  shoveling 
up  the  surface  deposit.  From  this  it  may  he  inferred  that  as  new 
tracts  of  land  are  being  put  under  irrigation  the  alkali  is  gradually 
being  driven  into  underground  drainage  channels  and  slowly  work- 
ing its  way  to  Great  Salt  Lake. 

The  methods  which  are  at  present  used  in  reclaiming  alkali  lands 
may  be  described  under  the  heads  of  cultivation,  washing,  and  Hood- 
ing combined  w  it  h  drainage. 

<  i   I  i  i  \  ITIOK 

Utilizing  small  tracts  of  land  by  thorough  cultivation  and  planting 
crops  is  practiced  not  only  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley,  but  in  many  dis- 
tricts in  the  Pacific  Coast  State-,  especially  by  Chinese  farmers  and 

gardeners.  A  tract  of  land  is  selected  usually  of  not  more  than  a 
lew    acre-,    which    on    account    of   it-    alkali    content    is    not    considered 

a  IimlmI  LOO   in   I    t;ili. 


METHODS    [J8ED    IX    RECLAIMING     ALKALI     LAND-.  21 

valuable,  and  hence  offers  a  cheap  home  site  to  the  man  of  limited 
capital.  By  thorough  cultivation  the  land  is  put  in  the  best  possible 
shape  for  crops,  which  arc  planted  and  make  a  successful  growth. 
By  spading  or  deeply  plowing  the  soil  the  alkali  accumulated  at  < li- 
near the  surface  i-  evenly  distributed  through  the  soil  to  the  depth 
to  which  it  is  stirred.  The  soil  is  also  made  loose  and  porous,  so  that 
rains  or  applications  of  irrigation  water  tend  to  drive  the  alkali  salts 
to  a  lower  depth.  The  upper  soil  is  then  sufficiently  reclaimed  to 
permit  the  growth  of  crops  which  shade  the  surface,  while  repeated 
cultivation  clucks  further  rise  of  alkali.  Bach  succeeding  irrigation 
tends  to  drive  the  alkali  deeper  into  the  subsoil,  until  the  greater 
part  of  it  is  carried  away  into  the  country  drainage.  Thus  these 
small  trad-  of  alkali  land  are  made  productive,  frequently  with  uo 
thought  on  the  part  of  the  owner  that  he  is  actually  reclaiming  the 
land.  Could  tin-  method  be  adopted  on  a  large  scale  or  the  land 
subdivided  into  a  Large  number  of  small  holdings  and  thoroughly 
cultivated,  there  is  little  doubt  that  large  tracts  of  land  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  could  be  made  productive.  Frequently  in  following  out  this 
method  of  reclaiming  alkali  soils  large  quantities  of  stable  manure 
are  worked  into  the  soil,  which  tend-  to  make  the  soil  more  open  and 
allow-  the  more  ready  percolation  of  rainfall  and  irrigation  water 
The  addition  of  manure  also  serves  a-  a  .-timulant  to  young  crop-. 
thereby  enabling  them  to  withstand  whatever  alkali  may  -till  remain 
in  the  upper  layers  of  soil. 

WASHING . 

This  is  also  a  favorite  method  when  an  attempt  is  made  to  culti- 
vate somewhat  larger  tracts  of  land  than  are  mentioned  in  the  above 
paragraph.  Fields  of  in  and  20  acre-  are  selected  which  in  their 
present  condition  arc  considered  too  strongly  charged  with  alkali  to 
grow  en»p-.  Sufficient  leveling  is  done  to  get  the  land  in  shape  for 
irrigation.      When   the    land   ha-  heen  leveled  SO  that    all   part-  of    the 

tract  ma\  be  covered  with  water  to  a  considerable  depth,  heavj  irri- 
gations are  used  during  longer  of  shorter  period-  a-  required.  In 
this  \wi\  large  quantities  <»1  alkali  may  he  washed  oil'  the  surface  or 
driven  to  some  d<  pth  in  the  -oil.  With  the  ground  water  at  a  depth 
of  l  or  ">  feet  from  the  surface  the  amount  o\'  alkali  driven  into  a 
lower  depth  of  -oil  with  that  removed  from  the  surface  1>_\  washing 
ma\  sufficiently  sweeten  the  land  to  permit  growth  of  crops.  Irriga- 
tion after  the  crop  ha-  become  partially  established  i-  relied  upon  to 
further  reduce  the  amount  of  alkali  in  the  upper  layers  of  -oil.     h  i- 

undouhtedly  b\  this  method  thai  the  eaH\  -ettler-  reclaimed  exten- 
sive areas  on  the  east  Bide  of  the  valley.      The  -lope  in  tin-  portion 

of  the   \alle\    i-   u-ually    proiiounet  d .   and   other  condition-  are   favor- 

abl<   for  removing  the  alkali  originally  contained  in  the -oil-.     During 

the  progress  of  the  demonstration  work  on  the  Swan  tract  a  -mall 


22  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 

piece  of  land  near  by  was  reclaimed  in  this  manner.      Flooding  was 

carried  on  at  various  times  during  the  year,  to  be  followed  in  the 
succeeding  spring  by  a  crop  test.     While  this  work  was  unsuccessful 

for  the  first  two  or  three  years  and  the  crop  returns  did  not  pay  for 
the  cost  of  seeding,  eventually  this  method  was  successful  and  the 
land  now  supports  a  fine  stand  of  alfalfa.  As  late  as  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  1904  the  surface  was  heavily  incrusted  with 
alkali  salts.  In  1905,  the  year  in  Which  the  crop  of  alfalfa  was 
established,  a  test  of  this  soil  was  made  to  a  depth  of  3  feet  in  places 
where  the  stand  of  alfalfa  was  thin.  It  was  believed  that  the  alfalfa 
in  these  places  was  actually  tolerating  a  high  percentage  of  alkali. 
These  tests  showed  that  none  of  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  A  feet  con- 
tained sufficient  alkali  to  injure  alfalfa  even  in  its  younger  stages. 
The  ground  water  at  this  time  stood  within  3  feet  of  the  surface. 

Before  attempting  the  reclamation  of  any  considerable  tract  of 
land  by  this  method  it  will  he  found  advisable  to  determine  accu- 
rately the  depth  of  the  ground  water.  As  a  general  rule,  if  the 
ground  water  occurs  within  3  feet  or  less,  considerable  difficulty  will 
be  found  in  Leaching  out  large  quantities  of  alkali  by  flushing  or 
irrigation.  If,  however,  the  ground  water  is  at  a  depth  of  4  feet  or 
more  and  the  soil  of  open,  sandy  texture,  washing,  especially  during 
the  iate  summer  season,  will  so  reduce  the  quantity  of  alkali  that 
crops  may  be  grown  the  succeeding  spring. 

FLOODING    COMBINED    WITM    DRAINAGE. 

While  no  extensive  attempts  al  reclaiming  alkali  lands  have  been 
undertaken 'by  drainage  combined  with  flooding,  there  are  a  number 
of  interesting  examples  winch  deserve  attention.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Granger,  about  10  miles  southwesl  of  Salt  Lake  City,  a  number  of 
farmers  have  successfully  reclaimed  land  damaged  by  high  ground 
water  and  accumulations  of  alkali.  Some  of  the  farmers  who  have 
undertakes  this  work  are  enthusiastic  over  the  results,  and  each  year 
continually  increase  the  extent  of  their  drainage  systems.  Drains 
consisting  of  ordinary  drain  tiles  have  been  used  in  some  cases,  hut 

equally  good  results  have  been  obtained  with  drains  made  of  boards. 

In  some  cases  land  originally  covered  each  year  by  a  heavy  crust  of 
alkali,  with  the  water  table  near  the  surface,  has  been  reclaimed  in 
one  year's  lime  and  now   supports  a  heavy  growth  of  alfalfa.      While 

it  has  been  realized  bj  these  farmers  that  the  cost  of  installing  the 
drainage  system  was  considerable,  they  have  been  amply  repaid  by 
the  increased  growth  of  crops  for  the  time  and  monej  expended. 
Drainage  systems  with  open  ditches  have  also  proved  successful  in 
;i  few  instances.  A  greater  part  of  the  soils  in  the  level  portions  of 
the  valley  Stand  well  in  bank  and  only  require  cleaning  once  or  twice 

each  year,  bo  that   this  form  of  drainage  Bystem  can  be  utilized  by 

the  farmer  of  limited  means  who  can  not  afford  to  purchase  tile. 


RECOMMENDATIONS    FOR    RECLAIMING    ALKALI    LANDS.  23 

RECOMMENDATIONS    FOB    RECLAIMING    ALKALI    LANDS. 

Before  attempting  the  reclamation  of  any  considerable  tract  of 
alkali  land  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  it  is  desirable  for  the  farmer  to  con- 
sider the  demonstration  work  on  the  Swan  tract  and  other  methods 
which  have  been  used  by  the  farmers  of  the  valley.  This  work 
plainly  shows  that  one  of  the  most  essentia]  features  is  that  the  land 
must  be  placed  in  condition  so  that  it  can  be  entirely  covered  by 
irrigation  water.  Even  with  efficient  drainage  systems,  if  high  spots 
remain  in  the  fields  which  can  only  be  covered  to  a  very  slight  depth 
with  water,  these  places  will  tend  to  hold  and  accumulate  the  alkali 
from  the  surrounding  land.  This  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  the 
land  must  be  made  perfectly  level,  but  it  musl  be  so  graded  that  an 
even  flow  of  water  across  it  may  be  had  to  secure  uniform  leaching. 
Where  the  land  has  only  a  slight  fall  it  will  be  found  desirable  to 
divide  the  land  into  checks  so  that  the  water  may  be  held  on  the 
land.  It  has  been  the  experience  of  the  Bureau  of  Soils  on  the  Swan 
tract  and  elsewhere  that  the  best  results  have  been  secured  with  a 
considerable  depth  of  water.  Light  irrigations  carry  the  alkali  to  a 
depth  of  a  few  inches,  and  when  the  soil  dries  off  it  readily  returns  to 
the  surface,  as  previously  explained.  Flooding  to  a  depth  of  10  or 
12  inches  drives  the  alkali  deeply  into  the  soil,  while  succeeding 
floodings  carry  it  still  farther  into  the  soil,  thereby  diminishing  the 
chances  for  a  second  accumulation  at  the  surface  when  conditions 
become  favorable,  It  will  be  found  desirable  to  plow  the  land  to  a 
good  depth  before  each  Hooding  in  order  that  the  water  may  more 
readily  percolate  the  soil.  On  sandy  Boils  that  are  open  and  porous 
plowing  may  not  be  necessary  to  effect  a  rapid  downward  movement 
of  the  water.  Plowing  the  land  at  the  close  of  the  irrigating  season 
will  check  evaporation  and  allow  the  soil  to  catch  and  hold  any  rain 
or  -now  that  falls.  Plowing  in  the  fall  is  to  be  recommended  for 
alkali  land,  no  matter  what  method  of  reclamation  is  used  to  remove 
the  -alts. 

The  (pie>t  ion  of  deciding  whether  or  not  drainage  is  necessary  to 
reclaim  a  certain   piece  of  land   will  depend  on   the  quantity  of  alkali 

present,  the  character  of  the  soil,  and  the  depth  to  standing  water. 
With  porous  sandy  Boils,  only  moderate  quantities  of  alkali,  and  the 

ground    water  at    a   depth   of    1    feet    or   more,   heavy    Hooding  U)V  a    few 
month-   will   80   reduce    the   alkali   content    that    useful   crop-    may    be 
grown.      To   keep   the   land   free   from   alkali   heavy   surface   irrigation 
should  be  resorted  to.     Tin-  will  drive  down  whatever  -alt-  are  car 
ried  upward  l>\  the  capillar}  rise  of  the  -oil  moisture.     At  an\  time 

-hould  the  ground  water  ri.-e  within  a   few    feet   of  the  -iirface  gradual 
accumulation    of    alkali     may    be    expected.       Should    the    practice    of 

occasional    heavj    surface    irrigation-    be    discontinued    alkali    will 
undoubtedly    increase  in  the  upper  layers  of  soil.     Manx   example- 


24         RECLAMATION  OF  ALKALI  LAND  IN  UTAH. 

have  been  recorded  where  land  reclaimed  in  this  war  has  again 
been  ruined  by  a  second  accumulation  of  alkali.  Such  examples 
have  probably  prejudiced  many  farmers  against  freeing  land  from 
alkali  by  this  means. 

Where  large  quantities  of  alkali  are  contained  in  heavy  clayey  soils 
this  method  becomes  of  more  doubtful  application.  The  quantity  of 
water  nec(  ssary  to  \\ ash  the  alkali  to  the  point  where  it  will  no  longer 
harm  crops  may  be  sufficient  to  raise  the  ground  water,  thereby  defeat- 
ing the  object  of  the  experiment.  Again,  the  length  of  time  involved 
in  reclaiming  such  soils  must  be  considered.  While  it  may  be  possible 
eventually  to  reclaim  heavy  soils  containing  much  alkali,  the  time  nec- 
essary  to  do  this  will  probably  be  so  great  that  it  will  be  far  cheaper 
to  drain  the  land  to  hasten  the  reclamation  and  put  the  land  in  crops. 
Frequently  crop  returns  from  productive  land  amount  to  from  $20  to 
150,  and  even  more,  an  acre.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  it  would 
be  well  worth  from  $15  to  $20  an  acre,  the  cost  of  a  drainage  system, 
if  by  this  expense  the  farmer  can  get  his  land  into  paying  crops  one 
year  sooner  than  he  could  by  flooding  alone.  The4  question  of  the  per- 
manent reclamation  also  enters,  for  unless  the  land  be  naturally  well 
drained  and  carefully  managed  alkali  may  accumulate  in  even  greater 
quantities  than  were  originally  present. 

DRAINAGE. 

Aside  from  the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  land  may  be  reclaimed 
after  a  drainage  system  has  been  installed,  there  are  several  other  rea- 
sons why  drainage  is  to  be  recommended.  In  countries  of  abundant 
rainfall  the  good  effects  from  drainage  are  appreciated  and  much  land 
is  drained  where  the  removal  of  an  excess  of  water  is  not  absolutely 
necessary.  The  observant  farm*  r  has  learned  that  drained  land  can 
be  cultivated  earlier  in  the  spring  and  is  warmer;  that  excess  of  rain- 
fall is  rapidly  drained  aw  ay.  w  bile  sufficient  moisture  is  retained  in  the 
soil  to  maintain  a  rigorous  growth.  In  an  arid  region  drainage  will 
for  these  reasons  add  t<>  the  value  of  the  soil  aside  from  the  question 

of  removing  alkali  and  seepage  waters.  Drainage  may  be  accom- 
plished by  pumping  plants  that  depend  upon  shallow  ground  water 
for  their  supply  or  by  the  use  of  gravity  drains  that  will  conduct  the 
water  to  some  natural  outlet  or  to  a  sump  dug  for  the  purpose,  from 
which  it  is  raised.  Either  method  is  capable  of  lowering  the  ground 
water.  If  the  drainage  water  does  not  contain  soluble  salts  in  large 
quantities,  pumping  may  be  used  to  furnish  water  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses. If.  however,  the  drainage  water  contains  too  much  salt  to  be 
applied    to   crop-,    it    will    be    better   to   depend    oil    a    gra\il\    BVSteEQ   of 

drains.     No  great  difficulty  will  be  experienced  in  finding  a  gravity 

outlet   in  the  Sail    Lake  Valley,  as  the  land  ha-  ample  fall  and  there  is 


DBAINAQE.  25 

a  network  of  narrow  depressions  that  finally  discharge  into  Great  Salt 
Lake. 

A  drainage  system  to  reclaim  alkali  land  differs  somewhat  from  the 
drainage  systems  commonly  used  in  regions  of  abundant  rainfall.  To 
secure  the  best  results  the  drains  are  placed  at  a  greater  depth  and  at 
a  correspondingly  increased  distance  apart.  On  the  Swan  tract,  in 
heavy  soils,  drains  placed  200  feet  apart  were  apparently  as  successful 
as  those  placed  150  feet  apart.  On  the  light  sandy  loams  where  the 
alkali  occurs  in  moderate  quantity  the  drains  may  be  placed  at  inter- 
vals a-  great  as  250  and  300  feet.  On  the  heavy  clay  soils  with  a  large 
amount  of  alkali  intervals  of  150  feet  between  drains  will  be  more  sat- 
isfactory. Drains  should  be  placed  at  least  •'->  feet  deep,  and  depths 
of  4,  and  even  .">,  feet  will  repay  the  extra  cost  in  laying  them  at  this 
depth.  The  depth  at  which  the  drains  are  installed  will  be  found  to 
be  about  the  depth  to  which  the  alkali  can  be  Leached  from  the  soil. 
While  :-{  feet  of  alkali-free  soil  may  be  sufficient  for  most  crops,  under- 
lying Layers  of  soil  containing  alkali  will  be  a  possible  source  of  danger, 
depending  on  the  capillary  power  of  the  .soil  to  lift  the  alkali  to  the 
surface.  Each  additional  foot  of  soil  that  can  be  freed  from  alkali 
thereby  decreases  the  chances  of  a  second  accumulation  of  alkali  in 
the  upper  layer-  of  soil.  Four  or  5  feet  has  been  found  to  be  a  good 
depth  to  install  drains,  as  most  soils  will  accumulate  little  alkali  when 
once  it    ha-  been  leached  to  this  depth. 

( )pen  ditches  are  equally  as  effective  as  closed  drain-  and  have  been 
extensively  used  in  Egypt  and  other  alkali  dist  ricts  in  northern  Africa." 
Open  ditches  need  frequent  cleaning,  occupy  valuable  space,  must  be 
bridged  i<>  transport  farm  machinery  across  fields,  and  frequently 
prove  troublesome  when  flooding  the  land.  For  these  reasons  open 
ditches  for  -mall-field  drain-  have  not  been  extensively  used  in  this 
country,  although  they  are  generally  used  for  Large-mahl  drain-  that 
receive  the  surplus  waters  of  man\  -mall  drainage  systems. 

For  closed  drain-  tile-  of  burned  day  or  boxes  of  board-  or  plank- 
may  !)<•  used.     Flat  stones  are  frequently  used  for  closed  drain-,  as 

well  as  bundles  of  brush  tied  together  and  placed  end  to  end.      Since 

drain  tile-  have  proved  the  most  economical  form  of  drainage  Imple- 
ment, their  use  is  generally  to  be  recommended.     For  information  in 

regard    to    laying   tile    and    planning   drainage   systems    the    reader   i- 

referred  t<>  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  187,  entitled  "Drainage  of  Farm 

Land-."  and    "Engineering  for  Land   Drainage."    l>\    ('.   (i.    Elliott,   of 

the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.     Tiles -mailer  than  l  inches  have 

not  given  satisfaction  in  draining  alkali  land-  on  account   of  the  diffi- 
culty   in    keeping   them   free   from    -ill.      The   tile-  should    be  crowded 


Reclamation  of  Alkali  Lands  in  Egypt,  by  Thomas  II.  Means,  Bui. 21,  Bureau  of 
Boils,     l" 


26  RECLAMATION    OF    ALKALI    LAND    IN    UTAH. 

closely  together  and  silt  catchment  basins  constructed  in  long  lines 
of  tile.  It  will  generally  be  found  advisable  to  construct  these  of  suf- 
ficient size,  so  that  the  deposits  of  silt  may  be  easily  removed.  Boxes 
made  of  hoards  or  planks  4  or  5  feet  long  and  2  feet  wide  and  at  least 
1  foot  deeper  than  the  tile  have  been  found  satisfactory.  In  Salt  Lake 
Valley  no  unusual  difficulty  will  he  found  in  keeping  the  tiles  free  from 
silt,  for  the  subsoils  are  usually  heavy.  After  the  tiles  are  laid  care 
should  he  taken  to  settle  the  earth  firmly  over  them.  This  may  be 
done  by  filling  to  a  depth  of  several  inches  and  allowing  a  small  stream 
of  water  to  enter  the  trenches  hef  ore  filling  in  the  entire  trench.  When 
once  the  earth  is  firmly  settled  over  the  lines  of  tile  and  it  is  found  that 
silt  does  not  enter  the  tiles,  the  land  may  he  flooded  over  the  lines  of 
tile.  If.  however,  much  silt  enters  the  tiles  hanks  of  earth  or  levees 
should  he  thrown  up  to  protect  the  lines  of  tile.  On  the  Swan  tract 
little,  if  any,  silt  enters  the  tiles,  and  precautions  necessary  to  keep 
the  tiles  open  elsewhere  were  not  considered. 

After  the  drainage  system  is  installed  the  land  should  be  divided 
into  checks  so  that  flooding  can  be  carried  on.  Flooding  i>  necessary 
to  hasten  the  final  reclamation.  Drainage  may  effectually  check  any 
further  accumulation  of  alkali,  but  the  alkali  contained  in  the  soil  will 
not  be  removed  until  sufficient  water  is  added  to  leach  it  downward 
through  the  soil.  Heavy  rains  that  penetrate  the  soil  to  the  depth  of 
the  drains  are  valuable  adjuncts  to  flooding,  but  in  arid  countries  the 
ordinary  rainfall  can  rarely  be  depended  upon  to  remove  the  alkali 
entirely.  A  good  depth  of  water  even  at  infrequent  intervals  is  more 
effective  than  frequent  applications  of  a  few  inches  of  water,  as 
explained  elsewhere.  More  time  will  he  necessary  to  leach  alkali 
from  stubborn  clay  soils  than  from  sandy  soils,  through  which  the 
water  readily  percolates.  On  the  Swan  tract,  with  heavy  soils  and 
excessive  alkali  content,  flooding  for  one  season  so  reduced  the  alkali 
that  shallow-rooted  crops  could  he  grown  the  following  season. 
From  this  it  would  appear  that,  with  an  adequate  drainage  system 
and  the  land  nicely  leveled  for  Hooding,  the  land  should  he  occupied 
with  profitable  crops  the  succeeding  vea r.      In  the  case  of  heavy  soils 

the  growl  h  of  shallow-rooted  animal  crops  is  advised  before  plant  ing  a 
permanent  crop,  such  as  alfalfa.  During  the  flooding  operations  the 
tilth  of  the  soil  may  be  destroyed  and  the  cultivation  and  plowing 
under  of  stubble  will  help  overcome  the  had  effects  of  v  ater-logging  the 

soil.      ( );its  w  ill  be  found  a  good  crop  to  plant  on  new  l\  reclaimed  alkali 

lands.     Oats  withstand  considerable  alkali,  make  a  rapid  grow  t  h.  and 

find  ;i  ready  sale  at  good  prices  in  Salt  Lake  ('it  v.  'Pin-  crop  has  also 
been   found    a  good   nurse  crop  for  alfalfa   when   the  latter  is  seeded. 

( )n  t  be  >\\  .-in  t  ract  alfalfa  sow  o  w  it  h  oat  a  as  a  nurse  crop  made  fulrj  as 
good  growth  as  alfalfa  without  a  nurse  crop,  and  there  was  gained  the 

crop  of  oats  while  the  alfalfa  was  getting  established  the  first  year. 


SUMMARY.  27 

It  was  observed  that  the  flooding  necessary  to  reclaim  the  land  had 
not  in  any  way  impaired  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  as  the  stand  of 
alfalfa  was  pronounced  as  satisfactory  as  that  secured  on  alkali-free 
soils  in  different  parts  of  the  State. 

The  cost  of  reclaiming  alkali  land  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  will  depend  on 
the  methods  employed,  the  character  of  soil,  and  the  quantity  of  alkali. 
With  light  sandy  soils,  little  alkali,  and  deep  ground  water,  cultivation 
and  surface  irrigation  will  be  all  that  is  necessary  and  the  cost  will  be 
slight.  The  land  must  be  prepared  for  surface  irrigation,  which  will 
cost  from  $2  to  upward  of  $30  an  acre,  depending  on  the  character  of 
the  surface.  There  are  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  valley  where  the 
amount  of  leveling  will  be  small  and  the  cos1  should  not  exceed  $5  an 
acre.  The  cost  of  the  cultivation  and  irrigation  will  also  be  low.  so 
that  S10  or  $15  an  acre  will  be  sufficient  to  reclaim  comparatively 
level  sandy  soils. 

When  a  drainage  system  is  necessary,  as  well  as  flooding  for  several 
months,  the  cost  will  be  much  greater.  The  drainage  system  on  the 
Swan  tract  cost  about  $16.50  an  acre  and  may  be  taken  as  an  average 
cost  of  similar  work  in  the  valley.  The  cost  of  flooding  for  one  year 
will  vary  from  $5  to  810  an  acre.  By  many  it  will  be  urged  that  the 
cost  of  leveling  the  land  should  not  be  included  in  the  cosl  of  reclaim- 
ing land,  since  all  recognize  that  the  land  must  be  leveled  before  it  can 
be  successfully  irrigated  regardless  of  the  presence  of  alkali.  Deduct- 
ing, then,  the  item  of  leveling,  the  cost  of  reclaiming  alkali  lands  in 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  even  when  drainage  must  be  resorted  to,  will  be  from 
$20  t<»  $35  an  acre,  surelv  a  small  outlay  when  the  increased  earning 
capacity  of  the  soil  is  considered. 

-i  ftfMABY. 

In  previous  pages  it  has  been  shown  that  extensive  tracts  of  land 
in  Salt  Lake  Valley  west  of  the  .Jordan  River  arc  not  productive  on 
account  of  alkali.  On  account  of  the  nearness  to  excellent  markets 
it  i-  highly  desirable  that  the  farmer  should  know  how  to  remove  the 
alkali.      Reclaiming  alkali  land  to  a  limited  extent   has  been  practiced 

Bince  the  first  settlement  in  the  valley  in  is  17.  hut  no  extensive  work 
has  been  undertaken  by  private  enterprise.  An  experiment  on  io 
acres  of  worthless  alkali  land  l  mile-  west  of  Salt  Lake  City,  conducted 
by  the  Bureau  of  Soils  and  the  Utah  experiment  station,  showed  that 
Mich  work  i-  practicable,  since  the  reclaimed  land  now  supports  a  good 
stand  of  alfalfa.  These  results  were  accomplished  by  heavily  Hooding 
the  land  after  a  drainage  system  had  been  installed.  It  was  found 
that   surface  flooding  lor  one  year  leached  awa\    large  quantities  -'I 

alkali   From   hea\\    soils;  in   fact    the  <|iiantit\    of  alkali  was  80  reduced 

thai  -hallow -rooted  crops  could  be  grown  the  following  year.     The 

COSt  of  reclaiming  tin-  trad   of  hind  i-  not   large  in  comparison  to  the 


28  RECLAMATION    OF     ALKALI     LAND    IX    UTAH. 

enhanced  value  of  the  land.     This  experiment  in  reclaiming  worthless 

alkali  lands  should  prove  an  incentive  to  those  seeking  homes  at 
moderate  cost,  or  to  men  of  larger  capital  interested  in  employing  their 

means  in  safe  investments.  Much  of  the  now  idle  land  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  can  he  made  to  yield  handsome  returns  by  a  limited  outlay  of 
time  and  money.  Even  those  lands  that,  on  account  of  the  necessity 
of  providing  drainage  systems,  will  require  more  effort  to  get  rid  of  the 
alkali  will  he  often  found  far  cheaper  than  new  lands  now  being  devel- 
oped in  many  parts  of  the  West  where  market  facilities  and  social  and 
educational  advantages  are  lacking  and  no  definite  information  can  be 
secured  as  to  what  crops  may  be  successfully  grown. 

O 


univer: 


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